Mind Game
by Starath
Summary: Rampage haunts the footsteps of a young woman. Is he real, or all in her head? PG13 for language.
1. Chapter 1

Mind Game:

Round One

By: Starath

_Author's Note: _ The Beast Wars and characters belong to Mainframe Entertainment and HASBRO. I belong to myself, Laurie belongs to herself, and whoever invented clam chowder should be crowned king. So says Starath:P Thank you for helping Laurie! You too, Lady V! hugs This fic is PG-13 for harsh language. 

She didn't remember how she got to her former school. It was a blur, as things usually are very early in the morning. She must've gotten up at 6 AM like she used to, then her father drove her to the community college, where he dropped her off and drove away. Christine vaguely remembered that she was here to look for a job because the school had resources she didn't have at home. And maybe she would visit some of her old teachers. Yeah, she might as well, because it could easily be 4 o'clock in the afternoon before her father came to get her after he was done with work. The curse of the inability to drive strikes again…

Right now it was almost 8 in the morning. The community college was tucked in a tiny valley, and the main walkway that stretched in between all the buildings was shrouded with fog. She carefully walked down the stairs that led to the main walkway. Snow had been blown to either side and up against the buildings, but she didn't trust these stairs. She never had. Her grip tightened on the railing. One step on a patch of unseen ice and she could go tumbling down to the bottom. Her breath quickened, releasing puffs of steam that added to the fog. She made it down without incident.

The campus seemed empty and completely silent. Christine knew it wasn't though, because there were 8 o'clock classes that students attended. Within an hour the walkways would be alive with people as they left class and hurried to the next. The fog didn't help either; nor the snow, because they muffled all sounds that would normally be crystal clear. Even the sparrows, which didn't leave during winter, were muted. She couldn't hear them at all as she passed the evergreen bushes the birds lived in. She could hardly see in front of her too. Pausing by a chain-link fence, her gloved hands snaked through the links as she tried to see through the fog. The school had started a construction project to add to a building already standing just before she graduated. She expected to see new concrete walls up, but didn't, as she made out the yawning hole in the ground easily twenty feet deep. Odd. There were the beginnings of the building supports in the bottom of the hole, but that was it. Maybe the construction stopped for the winter? That didn't make sense; since it had started in the fall and had gone through winter so far… so why stop now? _Maybe one of my old teachers know_, she thought.

Ahead of her was the Activities Building, where the gym and weight rooms were housed. At one time the building was hell on earth for her, but she had gotten through those struggles with success. Eager to get out of the cold and chilling fog, Christine hurried to the entrance doors and yanked them open. A blast of warm air hit her in reward as she stepped through and continued to the secondary entrance. She expected the bright lights to be on over the gymnasium floor, but they weren't. She expected to hear booming music from the radio echoing through the room, but didn't. Confused, Christine puzzled over this and remembered-the gym classes didn't start until 9:00, so the gym wasn't even open yet. So much for curling up on her corner bench to spend time here. The Counseling Center wasn't open until 9:00 either, and that's where she was going to go look at job opportunities. The lights were on down a flight of stairs that led to the locker and weight rooms. She heard the _clank_ of metal upon metal, a familiar sound from the weight room. She frowned. No one was supposed to be in the weight rooms until 9:00 too. Shifting the weight of her backpack on her right shoulder Christine pulled off her winter gloves and stuffed them into her pocket before walking down the stairs.

The hallway was lit. She stepped up to the doorway of the first weight room. Its lights were on already, having been triggered by a motion sensor. The room was empty. Christine passed the doorway to get a look at the second weight room. It was dark. What had made the noise, then? That _was _the sound of someone moving the weights around. Her heart kicked up its pace. She'd seen no one in the hallways and she was standing in the only doorway into the weight rooms. Suddenly Rattrap's worried voice spoke in her head:

"_Man… perfect place for an ambush…"_

Christine laughed out loud. Her nervous giggle echoed through the deserted room. She lived, breathed and adored Beast Wars. Now she was scaring herself with it. Still, the accuracy of the random quote struck her as funny.

"Nice timing, Rattrap. If only you were real…"

If only, indeed. She'd hoped and wished and prayed a million different ways for the Beast Wars to become real. So she had some adventure in her life. So she could meet the wonderful characters from it. So she could enter their world and leave hers behind, if only for a short time, because she had no motivation to do anything here. Yeah, she was supposed to have a job now. Yeah, she was supposed to be learning how to drive. Yeah, she was supposed to be preparing to attend school again in nine months. Yeah, she had pictures to draw and stories to write. But her mind was dull and slow. Bored. She had no motivation to do any of these things. She had nothing to focus on. It was all part of an abstract future, too far away to consider and too daunting to try and comprehend. Surely living in the Beast Wars would give her some motivation, some purpose?

Christine took one glance at the darkened weight room before leaving the lit room she was in. She stopped. Blinked. Had she just seen glowing green lights? No, not lights… optics. Emerald optics that narrowed, mocking her. There was another _clank_ of metal, as if something massive had shifted its weight. Her throat went dry and she tore her eyes away from them. She looked again. They were gone. Pressing her hand to her chest, she willed her heart to slow down. For a moment she thought she saw Rampage. This wasn't the first time she had scared herself like that; sometimes she saw the pink optics of Megatron in the dark, or felt the red optics of Depth Charge watching her. It was always scary, but somehow comforting, because she had taught herself to trust those two robots. But not Rampage. She found him an interesting character but he couldn't ever be trustworthy. She imagined her version of Rampage to be an odd goofball; yet, no matter how hard she tried she could never convince herself that he could be tamed. He would her hurt her and enjoy doing so. Maybe it was a good thing the Beast Wars wasn't real.

Christine left the weight room and went back outside to go to the Library Building. She rushed there in a hurry through the thick fog, not willing to admit to herself that she had scared herself silly. Comfort and familiarity is what she needed now. She went to the computer lab. There it had the Internet, which had all the comfortable places she knew.

Four hours later it was a little past noon. The only reason why Christine realized what time it was was because her stomach told her it was hungry and wanted food NOW. She sighed, logging off the computer and gathered up her winter coat and backpack. She always carried a backpack with her. Luckily she'd remembered to pack a lunch, along with a book, her drawing pad and writing folder just in case she wanted to use any of those things. But she hadn't. She hadn't looked into any job opportunities either. Again it was lack of motivation. Her stomach gurgled. She was certainly ready for lunch. She could go job searching later. After throwing on her coat and backpack she headed outside. The fog hadn't left the campus yet. Dark grey clouds pressed down from the sky, keeping the fog pinned to the ground and blocking any sun from evaporating it. The campus was still eerily quiet. Aside from the three librarians, Christine had only seen a handful of people so far. Was it Friday? The campus always was quieter on Fridays. She counted off the days in her mind. No, it was Thursday. Perhaps there were simply no classes today? There had to be. It was the end of January. The last holiday was on the sixteenth. Weird.

It was a short walk from the Library Building to the College Center, in which the lunchroom and important college service offices lived. Pulling open the door she glanced over her shoulder and froze. Staring back at her through the fog, the large, hulking figure with bright green optics watched her.

_No way, no way, no way…_

She blinked. The shape vanished in the fog. She gulped, then realized she was gripping the door handle so tightly that her knuckles were white. She let go and shot through the doorway, not bothering to stop running until she was halfway through the lunchroom. Leaning against a soda vending machine, Christine tried to catch her breath. Scaring herself twice in the same day? _I'm nuts_, she concluded, _I've finally lost what little sanity I had left, and now I'm seeing things. If that was really him I'll eat my hat. _

A loud squeal made her jump. "CHRISTINE!"

"GAH!" She clung to the vending machine for balance and turned around just in time to see a young woman running toward her. Well, this was unexpected…

"Laurie?"

"Yeeee!" She squeaked, hugging her. "Christine, why didn't you tell me you were going to be here? How are you?"

"Oh, besides the fact that I keep scaring myself shitless, I'm fine."

Laurie gave her a look of disapproval. "That's not good for your health, you know."

"Well, I try not to do it on purpose…" Christine smiled. "It's good to see you too."

"Yeah! Have you eaten lunch yet?" She waved her hands a nearby table with her meal spread out on it. "Would you like to dine with me?"

"Why certainly, it would be an honor, milady." Christine did a half-bow and nearly fell on her face when her backpack slid down and smacked her on the head.

While listening to Laurie talk about school and life Christine found herself once again grateful that she had met her friend. She knew other people on the campus of course, but she only gave the title "friend" to Laurie. She was a stabilizer to Christine's life, being both an audience and speaker so she could have some social interaction. Before she knew Laurie she had no one to spend time with and suffered because of it.

"So! Why are you here? You didn't tell me you were coming back to the school!"

Christine answered after carefully peeling off the sealed metal lid of her microwaveable soup cup and snapping the plastic one over the opening. She took great care in not letting a single drop of clam chowder spill. She adored clam chowder.

"I'm here to use the job resources here. Just for today. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, so I didn't get to tell you. Sorry."

"That's okay. I'm just glad I caught you. I've scheduled myself so many classes I have to squeeze in my lunchtime."

"Eating on the run, eh?"

"Yeah, sort of. I've already had my last class of the day, so I'll be going home soon, whenever my mom gets here."

"Oh. Well, we'll make the most of it then." Christine smiled at her. _At least with her around I'll have less of a chance freaking myself out…_ She stood up, carrying her soup cup and a spoon. "Gotta go put this in the microwave, I'll be right back."

"Okay." Laurie watched her go before returning to the difficult task of eating chocolate pudding with a fork, since she'd forgotten to bring a spoon again. She sighed and poked at the pudding cup.

Christine timed the microwave for a minute and forty-five seconds. The numbers began their countdown as the microwave lit up on the inside and hummed. Almost giddy with anticipation of the nice hot soup, she skipped into the café area to grab some napkins and two small packets of pepper to stash in her pockets. Behind the counter, in the kitchen, she saw pans of food cooking but didn't see any of the cooks. Determined not to scare herself again, she decided that the cooks were out of her sight near the refrigerator and dishwasher. Yes, that made perfect sense. Across the café there was another doorway that led into a hallway, and the school store was on the opposite wall. The school store sold beef jerky sticks that Christine had gotten addicted to in the beginning of the last semester. They were only fifty cents apiece. Absentmindedly she touched her back pocket where her wallet sat and felt the outlines of several coins. Sure, what the heck, she had change!

_Beep beep beep beep_

The microwave went off. Christine spun on her heel. First thing's first, take care of her beloved clam chowder! Opening the microwave she peeled off the cup's plastic lid, stirred the soup, and reset it for forty-five more seconds. She stood there for a moment, torn between waiting for her soup to finish warming and going to the school store to buy some beef jerky sticks. Her desire for the beef jerky won out. Slipping her spoon into a napkin in her pocket, Christine bounced to the doorway and into the hallway, looking on either side to make sure she didn't run into anyone. Besides Laurie she'd seen no one else in the lunchroom, but it was hard to break habits of courtesy. When she glanced to the right her feet froze onto the floor. There he was at the end on the hall. Standing there with no way he could have gotten in. Their gazes locked and held. He smiled a smile that said he'd known she would appear all along.

Rampage.

"L…LAAAAUUURIIIIE!" In a mad dash that nearly sent her stumbling into several cash registers, Christine ran through the café and into the other side of the lunchroom. At their table Laurie was already on her feet with a frightened look on her face.

"What? What's the matter?" She demanded.

"Rampage!"

"_What?_"

"I saw Rampage!"

Laurie relaxed a bit. Christine had told her about the Beast Wars and the 'bots who inhabited that world. Rampage was among the favorite characters she liked to tell stories about. "Yeah? Was he carrying a chicken again? Or did he say "boo" and scare you?"

"No, I mean, I _saw_ him!" Grabbing her friend's hand, she pulled her through the café and into the hallway. She kept Laurie behind her as if to protect her. They both looked to the right.

At an empty hallway.

Christine let go of Laurie's hand and leaned against the wall, stunned. _He had been RIGHT THERE!_ She hid her face in a hand and tried not to listen to her pounding heart. Laurie scanned both ends of the hallway and gave her a doubtful look. Christine attempted to defend herself.

"I know you think I'm crazy, and I am, but this time I'm not. He was standing right there! He _looked_ at me!"

"And then said 'boo'?"

"No, he didn't say anything at all. He was there, I tell you!"

"Imaginary there or real there?"

"He was REAL!"

Laurie eyed her, then gently took her hand and patted it. "You should come sit down. I thought you looked tired today. Come on."

"But…but…" Christine protested, allowing herself to be guided back to the lunch table anyway. Laurie made sure she sat down before asking, "What time did you go to bed?"

"Uh… at 2, I think."

"And what time did you get up?"

"At 6." Christine paused, realizing what her friend was getting at. "N-no! It's not cuz I'm tired! I can't help it; I'm a night person. I always stay up late. It's not cuz I'm tired…" she repeated, then blinked sleepy eyes. She _was_ tired. "I think…"

Laurie nodded sagely, as if that explained everything. "Your imagination is getting the better of you. Your scream was certainly real enough, though. Is your soup done?"

Soup? Oh, yes, the glorious clam chowder. Christine had forgotten all about it. She started to get up. "Yeah."

"Stay sitting. I'll get it for you." Laurie said in a 'I know what's best' tone, then left to get the soup.

"Okay." She sat back down, leaning back so she could fish her spoon, napkins and pepper packets out of her pocket. Afterwards she sat forward and rested her head in her arms, gazing around the empty lunchroom. _Not very many people must have used the room today. Most of the chairs are still hanging on the tables by their arms_, she observed. Her attention wandered to the drapes framing the windows that gave a view to the hallway on the other side of the wall. She frowned. She always thought the red-and-orange drapes were ugly things. She let her eyes fall closed before prying them open again. Movement near one of the windows caught her eyes. She stiffened. Rampage's emerald optics narrowed at her. He sneered. His voice entered her mind.

"_Is that fear you are feeling, Maximal?"_

She jerked upright. "Oh-my-GOD!"

Rubbing at her eyes, she looked again. He was gone, replaced by the pale-colored wall of the hallway. She ran her fingers through her hair, shaking her head. _What a time to remember THAT quote!_ There were quick footsteps behind her, and Christine turned, fully expecting to see Rampage. Laurie held the soup-cup in both hands, setting it to the table.

"Are you okay? I heard you yell." She said with concern, then added jokingly, "I was only gone for thirty seconds."

"I… Yeah… I'm fine. Thank you." Christine peeled off the cup's lid and poured in the pepper, stirring it into the creamy white clam chowder. "I… I just thought I saw him again."

"Oh." Laurie sat down and poked at her pudding cup with the fork. She shook it at her friend. "Go to bed early tonight."

"I plan on it."

"And you shouldn't watch Beast Wars so late at night, either."

"Yeah, I know…" She grinned sheepishly. "Why worry about giving myself nightmares? I'm giving myself day-mares! Horray!"

While Laurie laughed Christine attacked the soup. It was so darn good! She made short work of the clam chowder as she had some cheese-flavored goldfish crackers and an apple too. She saved her chocolate-chip granola bar for last. Chocolate was always a good way to end a meal. Laurie agreed wholeheartedly, licking off her fingers because she'd given up on trying to eat chocolate pudding with a fork. Christine offered her some napkins and sat back in her chair, content. She felt better now that food was in her belly. Yeah, she _must_ have been tired. She was just imagining Rampage; he wasn't real…

He chose that moment to walk through the doorway at the end of the lunchroom.

Looking over Laurie's shoulder she watched him. He moved with purpose, staring her down with a predator's gaze.

"_Let it grow. Consume you."_

Her breath caught in her throat. She exhaled with a whoosh, and her breathing sped up. One of the claws on Rampage's back struck the side of a chair hanging from a table. It crashed to the floor.

"_Feel it… Feel the FEAR!" _

Laurie jumped at the sudden sound and arose halfway to her feet. "What was—WHOA!" Christine snatched their coats off their chairs before grabbing Laurie's hand and racing to a door to the outside. "Christine!"

"He's HERE!" She kicked the door open, crossed the patio and led Laurie down a flight of stairs.

"What?"

"I don't know how or why, but Rampage is _here!_" She nearly screamed, pointing at the windows of the lunchroom. The side facing outdoors had no walls but large paned windows instead, so the room could get plenty of sunlight. Both young women turned to them. Besides the tables and chairs the room was empty. Frustrated, Christine stomped her foot.

"What the hell? He was RIGHT THERE! He made the chair fall! Damn you Rampage!"

The morning's fog hadn't burned off yet. Laurie shivered, putting on her winter coat. Her gaze went from the empty lunchroom to her friend, who was starting to shake with anger. She took the coat from her hands and threw it over Christine's shoulders.

"Christine... Take three deep breaths."

The reply was almost hysterical: "How can you expect me to breathe when he was right THERE! You can't miss him! He's like ten friggin' feet tall! I bet he's messing with my head, dammit! It doesn't need any help being messed with—"

"Christine. You're not breathing."

"I don't really WANT to breathe right now—"

Laurie stood in front of her to block her view of the lunchroom windows. "Breathe. One, two, three, breathe…."

With her source of vexation cut off from sight, Christine had to do so. She took several deep breaths, closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. After a long moment of silence she opened her eyes. Laurie smiled at her.

"There. Do you feel better?"

"…Yeah."

A loud ringtone from Laurie's pocket made them both jump. Embarrassed, she stepped away and answered her cellphone.

"Hello? …Hi Mom. Okay… I'll see you in a little while….Bye." She stowed the cellphone in her coat pocket, turning to Christine. "Mom will be here to get me in about ten minutes."

"Do you think she'd be willing to take me home?" She couldn't help sounding hopefully pathetic.

"Not this time, no. We have to go to a church meeting."

"…Slag."

"C'mon, it's cold out here. I have to get my stuff."

Christine's eyes shot up. "Go back in _there_?" She backed away. "Uh uh. No way."

"Don't be silly." Laurie took her hand and pulled her to the lunchroom entrance. "You're imagining things. Just tell yourself it's your imagination."

"But…" She was a little grateful for the warmth of the lunchroom. But wouldn't admit it. While Laurie packed up her belongings, Christine cautiously approached the chair that had gotten knocked from hanging on the table. It was lying on its side. One of the legs was broken. On the seat's back, a large piece of wood had been gauged out. The wooden shard was underneath the table. She retrieved it and called to Laurie.

"Come look at this!"

After shouldering her backpack she went to her. Christine waved the shard under her nose. "See? This is where he hit it! With one of his claws! It dug out a piece of wood!"

"Or that piece popped out when the chair hit the ground."

Christine huffed. "Oh, sure, if you _want_ to make sense!"

Laurie stared at her.

"It's true! He's so darn big he could hardly walk between the tables and chairs, so he knocked one down! I watched him do it!"

Laurie reached up and felt her friend's forehead. "Hmm… you don't feel warm, so you can't be sick…"

Christine dropped the shard onto the table. "Can I just hide in the trunk of your van and have you take me to your house? I won't mind!"

"Unfortunately I think my mom would notice if you did that."

"Slag. Now _I'm_ starting to think I'm crazy. Sheesh." Picking up the chair, she set it on top of the table. She searched for the broken leg while Laurie checked her watch.

"Mom will be here any minute. I should go."

Christine found the chair leg and stooped to pick it up. Then froze. It was smashed flat, like someone had _stepped on it_. She bobbed up like a water-dipping bird.

"Laurie…" She pointed down, but her friend was moving in to give a hug.

"I'll talk to you later, okay? It was great to see you. You be sure to get some sleep, you hear me?" She let go, looking at Christine expectantly.

"But…"

"No buts! Sleep is good for you!"

She finally managed to say, "Okay. Can I wait outside with you at least?" The last part was a squeak.

Luckily Laurie agreed. They left the lunchroom together, traveling up the stairs to the second floor of the college center where they exited through doors that led them to the parking lot. Christine mentioned that the school seemed awfully empty, but Laurie said everyone had been in her classes. Maybe Christine was just missing the crowds. _Yeah, but everywhere?_ She thought, deciding to keep that comment to herself. Through the thick white fog a dark purple van appeared and slid next to the curb. It was Laurie's mother, so the friends hugged again and Christine watched the van drive away, swallowed up by the fog. Before going back inside she made use of a pay phone next to the entrance. She called her father to ask when he thought he could come get her. _The sooner the better,_ she mentally grumbled, then was told he thought he'd be done with work after five o'clock, so it would be at least five-thirty when he could get to the school. They disconnected and she sighed. Alone again.

It was a little past one o'clock now, so Christine kept herself occupied by searching for jobs in the folders provided by the counseling center. The search quickly became old.

She refused to work at any kind of restaurant. There were a lot of jobs needing drivers, but she couldn't drive yet. She had no skills or work experience in the fields of carpentry, dentistry, or toxic waste management. She was sure that last one had to be a spoof. _"Tired of working at that desk job? Like fresh air and working with the earth? Not frightened by animals glowing in the dark? Then this job's for you!" _Riiiiight. Looking for a job was harder than she thought it would be. She'd settle for a secretary position or daycare assistant but there were no openings like that in the massive three-ring binders. She closed the last one and walked over to the shelf to stash it away.

Yawning, Christine wandered out of the Counseling Center area to where several dozen couches and chairs were spread out around a couple black tables. She went to the ledge that allowed her to look down to the lunchroom below. Leaning on the white brick, she stared down at the table that had the broken chair lying on it. She had _seen_ Rampage. He knocked it over. Then disappeared without a slagging trace. There was no way he could have been able to do that. His giant size prevented him from being able to just run and hide. He _wouldn't_ anyway. He wasn't like that.

…Or, there was the more rational explanation. The chair had fallen down by itself. She pushed the image of the smashed chair leg out of her mind. _Maybe Laurie's right, I'm just too tired. I'm seeing things. _Grudgingly she went back to the table where her coat and backpack sat. She dragged them to one of the small blue squishy chairs, then pulled another chair until it was about six inches apart from the first. After taking off her boots she plopped down and set her feet on one chair, snuggling in her winter coat. This arrangement was much more comfortable than trying to rest on the couches. Soon enough Christine fell asleep.

_"Come out, come out, it's time to play!"_

She jerked out of sleep with a start. She stretched, growling. Again with the random quotes! This was getting ridiculous. Christine cautiously opened one eye to check her surroundings. The room was quiet and there were no murderous crab-bots standing over her. Good. She checked her watch. Three twenty three.

"I might as well get up now, dammit…" She scooted upright and stretched again. Fumbling for her boots, she started lacing them up. Somehow she pinched her finger in one of the metal hooks where the boot strings went.

"Ow!"

"_Your pain is lovely… but where is your terror?"_

"Oh fer bootin' up cold, would you SHUT UP, Rampage?" Christine snapped aloud, more to herself than anything else. She remembered random quotes often enough, but she was really getting sick of her wayward mind. "Enough with your quotes already! The least you could do is say something original!"

"I thought you'd never ask."

---

_Continued in Round Two_


	2. Chapter 2

Mind Game:

Round Two

By: Starath

She sat up straight. That had _not_ come from inside her head. Her gaze went across the room. Rampage was leaning on the opposite wall with arms crossed over his chest. Somehow she hadn't seen him there before. He eyed her with a sparkle of amusement in his emerald optics.

"Had a good nap, Christine?"

She couldn't speak. He chuckled.

"You must not be awake yet. I can wait."

Christine finally managed to find her voice. "And why would _you_ care?"

He stopped chuckling and the amused glint faded out of his optics. "That's right. I don't. Because it's time to play a game."

"A game?"

"Oh yes. It's quite fun. You know it. It's called 'tag'."

The sinking feeling in her chest told her she wasn't the one who was 'it'. She tried to keep the shaking in her voice steady. "I'd rather not, thank you. Maybe some other time."

"That's too bad. I'm eager to play. After all, what better place than this? It's just you and I, finally alone, after all this time."

Her heart jumped into her throat. "What?"

"You know what I mean. You've hoped and prayed for so long. I heard you. I came." When she didn't reply, he asked, "What's the matter? Not happy to see me?"

"Well DUH, you're a friggin' homicidal maniac!" Her eyes widened and she slapped her hand over her mouth, scared that she might have made him angry. To her surprise, Rampage started to laugh. His shoulders shuddered so hard they rattled the claws on his back, scraping the wall behind him.

"Come now, don't let minor details like that you down. This'll be fun!" He shrugged and pushed himself away from the wall. "Enough talk. Let's _play_. I'll be 'it' first. I suggest you run…"

She couldn't move. She simply stared at him as he walked to where she sat. She saw him but she couldn't quite believe. _I'm just imagining things. He's not real. I was talking to myself. I do it all the time. There is NO WAY he could be real. _Christine squinted her eyes shut. _I'm just imagining things, I'm just imagining things, I'm just imagining things---_

He walked closer. The ground shook.

_He's not real, I'm just imagining him, I'm just imagining this, my mind's doing this to me, he's not real, not real, not real, not real---_

Closer. The floor under her feet trembled with the footsteps of a giant.

_Not real not realnotrealnotrealnot---_

So close that the chair she sat in quivered. Her eyes flew open. Not even two feet away. He reached for her---

"Holy _shit!_" Christine tried to back up and her momentum threw the chair backwards with such force that she tumbled out head over heels. She scrambled upright and stumbled, her vision dizzied from her roll. She took off in a frenzied run to a flight of stairs at the end of the building. Behind her Rampage laughed triumphantly.

"Yes, yes that's it! Run! I knew you knew how to play this game! OhohohahHAHAHA!"

Her boots slipped on the stone stairs and she grabbed the railing just in time to prevent herself from falling, and instead slid down to the bottom. She dashed into the hallway, switching her frantic gaze between the lunchroom entrance and the doors leading outside. Tough choice. Kicking the door open she ran outside and disappeared into the building next door.

Several blurred seconds later Christine found herself crammed underneath one of the study desks at the back of the library near the corner, gasping for breath and wiping at tear-stained cheeks. She tried to slow her breathing but couldn't, overwhelmed by the need for air and gulping sobs.

"T-this can't be happening!"

She was crying. God, how she hated it when she cried. It was so shameful, but usually a result when she was scared too badly. Trembling, she curled up and tried to hide in her green winter coat. A loud _clunk_ made her hold her breath, only to relax when she realized it was the heater in the wall beside her. She was safe. This part of the building was underground. He couldn't get her here unless he came inside. If he came inside.

_When_ he came inside.

Yes, it was definitely a _when_ possibility. Christine took a shaky breath, wiping her eyes on her coat sleeve. Or was it? She spent a few minutes calming herself down and getting her thoughts in order. Maybe not. Rampage liked a hunt, but he wouldn't chase her down directly. He'd lay a trap of some kind or just wait until she made herself vulnerable. And hiding was pointless. If she wasn't crunched into a ball she would have kicked herself. _You can't hide from an empath, stupid. He's going to know exactly where I am no matter where I go._ She sighed and then shook her head. _Wait a minute… am I really believing he's real?_ Given what just happened, what more proof did she need? He was exactly the way she imagined him- massive, dominant, and just plain scary. His calm voice had a dangerous edge when he spoke. The intelligence in his optics chilled her. There was no kindness there. He had the look of someone who had killed before and would do so again. It was all a game to him. He _WAS real._

Okay, so he wanted to play a game? Fine. First she needed to make some rules so she didn't screw herself over. _First rule: don't bother hiding._ With that decision she crawled out from under the desk and dusted herself off. The massive bookshelves in front of her blocked her from seeing the library's entrance. She moved until she could see it but also kept herself out of view from the windows at the front of the building. _No sense in giving him a clear shot. Okay, rule number two: Don't be anywhere with only one exit from the building._ He might be able to disappear whenever he wanted to, but she doubted that he was talented enough to be in two places at once. Then she realized that she _was_ somewhere with only one exit.

"Dammit…"

Christine crept along the rows of bookcases, trying to figure out how to make a dignified escape. But should she? He might be waiting for her outside… _Rule number three: Don't go outside for very long. There's WAY too much open space for him outside. And rule number four: Don't go on the second floor of any building unless there's a way OUT of the second floor. _Otherwise he could trap her somewhere where she couldn't get out. What a comforting thought. She needed some chocolate. Yeah. That would help calm her nerves. She had a pack of M&Ms in her backpack….

Backpack?

"Gol' DAMMIT!" She screamed, punching a bookshelf. Books clattered to the floor. She'd left it in the lounge room when Rampage came after her! Sorely pissed, she kicked at the books, sending one flying down the aisle. She hadn't seen any librarians earlier, so she didn't care. How could she have been so stupid, just leaving it?

Well, at least she knew now what he'd use for baiting a trap.

"Okay fine. Calmness, calmness please…" Christine paced in a small circle, smiling when she realized she'd quoted her favorite Predacon. Where was Megatron when she needed him? And Depth Charge for that matter? She had imagined those two more than Rampage, but they weren't here. Heck, she'd even take Landray Depth Charge right now, but he didn't belong to her. For a fleeting moment she considered calling his owner.

"_Hello, Morgan? Can I borrow Landray? And could you make him real for me? Why? Oh, I have a giant crab chasing me…_"

Yeah, as if her friends didn't already consider her halfway insane. She shook her head, smiling. _Don't get distracted. Think. What am I going to do? Do I wait for him to come get me, or do I go to him?_ She preferred the thought of going to him. She'd be a fool, but she'd be a fool in charge. Sort of. She hated waiting around for the other ball bearing to drop. And then what? Could she fight him? _Yeah right! Once he has me, that's it, I'm done. _She shivered and tried not to think of what he might do to her. No, she wouldn't go there and get herself all wound up. She could make herself paranoid _much_ too easily and have herself jumping at shadows.

"Well, I'm not getting any younger," Christine said to some old library books, "I might as well try to get off campus." Did she really want to try that? "Or," she checked her watch, "survive for an hour and a half until dad gets here. Terrific."

She stepped to the end of the bookcases. She had to risk walking through the open area of the library, right in front of the windows. The sidewalk outside was empty except for the lingering morning fog. She tried to keep her pace steady and unrushed, not willing to give Rampage the visual satisfaction that she was scared in case he was watching. All she had to do was go back to the College Center building, go back up the stairs and rush out the doors that lead to the parking lot. There was a highway down the road. If she could somehow reach it…

Passing between buildings was uneventful. She crept through the door and got ready to dash up the stairs. A sight through the lunchroom doors made her pause. There, on one of the tables, was her red backpack.

It was a trap.

She tiptoed to the end of the hall and peeked around the corner to scan the long hallway that ran past the lunchroom. Empty.

It was a trap.

She went back to the lunchroom entrance and slowly made her way through the first room and then next to the café area. Empty too.

It was a trap.

She poked her head into the main lunchroom and looked around. Also empty.

It smelled, screamed and flashed like a trap.

_What the hell._

Christine walked to the middle of the room and picked up her backpack, strapping it over both shoulders as she kept her eyes and ears focused for anything unusual. It couldn't be this easy…. There had to be a catch….

A loud _crunch _from above snapped her attention to the ledge of the second floor just before Rampage jumped down from it. The impact he made on the ground made her knees buckle. She screamed and bolted to one of the doors leading outside.

_WHY the hell do fools never think to look UP when walking into a trap?_

Somehow she got outside and ran to the building across the main walkway through the fog. Glass shattered behind her as Rampage plowed through the lunchroom windows.

"What's the matter, don't you want to play, Christine?" He taunted with a malicious laugh.

"Go AWAY!" She shrieked and pulled open the doors, slamming them behind her. His thunderous footsteps slowed, then stopped. She turned to look at him through the door's window. He judged the size of the doorway, glaring at her. Even if he forced his way in, the area inside was too small. When Christine reached the same conclusion she stuck her tongue out at him. His glare turned into a smirk as he walked away out of her sight.

"Oh great…" She needed to leave before he could do something. Like spring another trap he'd most likely set. She liked to think that she had the advantage since she knew the school's layout, but she knew better than to dismiss the intelligence he had. Already she realized she'd made a mistake. She was on the opposite side of the campus, away from the parking lots and nearby highway.

"Dammit!"

Christine kicked the doorframe and then leaned on it, her gaze going to the flight of stairs in front of her. If she went upstairs she could get to the neighboring building, which then would lead her to the next one, which had a parking lot next to the highway. Yeah, that could work. But what if he was expecting that? She couldn't afford to make another mistake. That last attack had given her minor heart trauma. _Wonderful…_ Well, she couldn't think of anything else to do, and if she could get to the Activities Building she might find somebody to help her, or a weapon… _Yes Rampage, fear me and my puny baseball bat!_ She giggled a high-pitched nervous giggle that bounced around in the empty lobby and came back to her. When it did, a low, sinister laugh had joined it.

She quickly went up the stairs.

The dash between buildings was short and quick. Christine stopped just inside the doorway to take a glance outside. The view was a small part of the main walkway still shrouded in fog. She didn't see him. She turned her attention to the long hallway ahead and the staircase on its right side. Now all she had to do was go down three flights of stairs and get to the ground-level tunnel that connected this building to the Activities Building. Simple, right?

Somehow she doubted Rampage would let it stay that way.

Her biggest worry was the lobby on the second floor. Its entrance came straight from the main walkway and the doors were big enough for him to get in if he wanted to. Cautiously she approached the staircase and started creeping down the stairs. When she got low enough she dropped to a crouch. She swept the lobby with her eyes. Nothing. She strained her ears. The only thing she could hear was the gurgle of the fish tank where a small-mouthed bass lived near one of the science lab classrooms. Was he standing in the hallway on the other side of the stairs where she couldn't see? She arose and continued down the stairs until her feet touched the green polished tile of the lobby. For several tense seconds she stood there, her hand resting on the banister, waiting for something to happen. The fish tank sputtered down the hall, startling her.

"Calm down, it's just the stupid fish tank… not a giant homicidal crab…"

A cold red hand engulfed hers, pinning it down. Christine's head shot up and she found herself staring into Rampage's emerald optics.

"No, you'd _like_ that, wouldn't you?" he asked with a malicious grin.

"Let GO!" She screamed, trying to pull her hand free. The pressure increased. She felt bones and tendons pop, which spurned her to pull harder. "Damn you Rampage, LET GO!"

"But don't you like this? Feeling your terror GROW with each moment…? Will you get it out before something breaks? Will you be able to escape me? And the PAIN! Will it ever stop?"

"SHUT UP! Let go! You're hurting me!" She was starting to get the tingly feeling of lost circulation in her hand, numbing the pain. She swung her left hand to punch his wrist, only to have it trapped under his hand with the right when he snagged it. Tears burned her eyes. "_Rampage!_"

His smile grew wider until his optics brightened as he remembered something. "Oh yes, that's right! Tag, you're it!"

The complete disregard he had for her pain made her furious. She tried to kick him, only to have the toe of her boot jam into the stair banister. Her balance shifted backwards and to her horror she realized the only thing keeping her from falling down the stairs was Rampage's grip on her hands. Their eyes met.

"I suppose I should let you go now so you can catch _me_," he said.

Panic swept through her. "No, wait!" He was already pulling away. "Rampage, please don't let me fall!"

He paused to look at her. "First you wanted me to let go, now you want me to stay. Make up your mind, girl."

"You know what I mean!" She cried. "If… if I fall, then I'll get hurt and won't be able to play anymore!" When she saw him consider the fact, she said again in desperation, "Please!"

Rampage made a face and a sound of disgust. "I thought you had more guts than this." She gasped when he abruptly let go, only to have herself spun sideways so she landed on the tile. He nudged her boot loose of the metal banister. She sat at his feet, sobbing in relief.

"T-thank you…"

"Spare me your gratitude," he growled, "I don't need it. Next time I'll let you fall. Or worse. Don't ruin the game for me again."

The raw anger in his voice made her look up at him, igniting her own temper.

"Yeah, you and your damned games! Who cares if I could have broken my fucking neck, you just want to keep playing! Mind games, killing games, torture games, you do it all! You're never serious!"

She arose to her feet to glare at him even though he was well over twice her size. Arguing with him could mean suicide, but she was so angry she didn't care. Her temper flared higher when he started laughing. The harsh sound grated in her ears.

"What's so damn funny!" She demanded. He took a step towards her and tipped her chin up with a finger so they could see eye-to-eye. She tried to flinch away but he wouldn't let her.

"That's more like it," he said with a chuckle, "I knew you had it in you. But let me tell you something, little one: You don't WANT me to be serious."

He let her chin drop and walked away, still laughing.

Christine stood at the top of the stairs for a long time shaking in anger. Eventually her drained mind and body had to let it go and misery set in. She felt trapped in some freakish nightmare that she couldn't wake up from. Tears welled up and a lump formed in her throat as she tried to force herself not to cry. She looked at her hands, flexing them so the circulation would return. They were very sore but seemed okay. His fingers had left imprints pressed into her skin. She rubbed at the marks to make them disappear but they remained. She stared at the lobby entrance doors through a veil of hot tears. Now what was she supposed to do? Her escape plan was ruined. He would be expecting her to come after him now; he'd know if she tried to get away. Was she going to play his game?

Despite the warmth of her winter jacket she shivered, suddenly aware she was drenched in cold sweat. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Did she have a choice? Pulling back her coat sleeve she checked her watch. Her father would be picking her up in about forty-five minutes, provided he got here true to his prediction. Could she 'put off' finding Rampage for that long? And then she could go home, leaving him behind…

What if he followed her home?

"Shit…."

She had to do something about him here and now. She didn't need this nightmare plaguing her at home too. There she would truly be trapped. What could she possibly do? Christine leaned on the banister, looking down the stairs. Could she beat him at his own game? _Yeah right… Screw this. I am OUT of here… _With that she bounded downstairs.

The ground-level tunnel connecting the buildings had windows to let the light in. She saw the sky outside and cringed. It was dusk, the sun already halfway from sight. She cursed early Minnesota winter nights. The last thing she wanted to do was face Rampage at night, when he had shadows and the natural paranoia she had of the dark to aid him. She entered a hallway that ran alongside the gymnasium floor. The lights were on now and loud music blasted out of speakers hanging from the walls. She was grateful for the music but at the same time felt annoyed by it. With so much background noise she could hardly hear herself think, not to mention any sounds a giant robotic crab might make. Still, the gym always had someone around.

She poked her head through the gym doors. Its vast expanse was empty. She bit back another curse, then reminded herself that there might be people in the weight rooms too. Although both rooms were lit, she saw no one. Panic raced through her body, making her tremble. There had to be _someone_ around! She passed by an open door that was cracked open. The storage room! Pushing her way inside she looked for the softball equipment. She spotted the fabric pouch where the softball bats were kept.

"Thank you God…"

She yanked one out and tested its weight. This had been a bat she'd used during softball class. Giving it a few half-swings she immediately felt bolder. Sure, using this against Rampage would be like poking a tank with a toothpick but it was the concept that mattered. She had a weapon now.

"Okay." Christine let the softball bat rest on her right shoulder, turning to leave the storage room. "Now I just have to figure out how to get outta here without getting caught."

Did she dare just walk outside and go to the parking lot where her father would eventually arrive? In the meantime should she pretend like she was looking for Rampage? With night setting in she didn't want to try to cross the large parking lot to get to the highway, so that plan was shot.

"Looks like it's the waiting game…"

The air outside was crisp and cold, biting at the exposed skin of her face. The fog finally began to retreat into the sky but left the world gloomy, an eerie shade of grey in the fading sunlight. Luckily the campus lights had turned on, banishing the dark away. Christine kept weary watch on the pockets of shadows left over, trying to pay attention to every sound. Her grip on the softball bat tightened. She passed by silent evergreen bushes. In a sudden flurry of wings and feathers, sparrows darted out overhead in a storm of fierce chirping. She yelped, jumping back with the bat raised. When they were gone she lowered the bat, pressing it into the ground so she could lean on it.

"Stupid birds…"

Another sound caught the edge of her hearing range. She stiffened, straining to hear it. After a long moment she dismissed it, deciding it was the roar of far-off traffic. Shivering, she stared across the walkway at the fenced construction area. It was too cold out here. It's not like she _wanted_ to find Rampage…

There. That sound again. From behind?

She spun around. The yellow lights of the Activities Building blinked at her. Nothing else. Christine let her breath out slowly, calming her racing heart. She banged the bat against the ground to make a satisfying _clang_ of metal against concrete, as if to scare away the unknown noise. The clang echoed around the buildings that surrounded her, leaving the air empty when it faded away. Pleased, she smiled, hefting the bat back onto her shoulder and turned to walk down the main walkway. He wasn't out here…

Maniacal laughter erupted out of the dark to her right.

Christine let out a scream and faced the source… only to see nothing. Then she heard the laughter behind her. When she looked she saw nothing. Laughter didn't come from thin air! Frustration blended with fear and soaked her trembling body. She tried to settle her frayed nerves but they had become hypersensitive to every noise and passing shadow. _Dammit, calm DOWN. He's just trying to psych me out…_

"It won't work, Rampage! I'm already psycho!"

Silence met her declaration. The wind blew chilling cold down the opening of her jacket, turning sweat to ice. Something shifted to her right, sliding across the ground. A massive black shadow towered over her, reaching out to grab her in its dark embrace.

She squealed, backing away, dropping the bat from nerveless hands that covered her face. Her back ran into the chain link fence, the shock of it making her hands fly open. With another startled yell she jumped away from it, still fixed on the black shadow before her. It didn't come towards her but kept swaying back and forth with the wind. Puzzlement wormed up out of her fear, allowing herself to clearly look at the source of the shadow.

The evergreen bush she'd been standing next to.

Christine choked, trying to get her breathing under control. The winter air threatened to freeze her lungs, burning her throat. It was just a stupid bush. Just a stupid bush next to the stupid building that had nearly given her a stupid heart attack. 'Christine the Brave-hearted' she was not. She wiped at the tears running down her cheeks before they could turn into ice droplets. Enough of scaring herself! She wanted the warmth of indoors _now._

"I wanna go home," she whimpered, bending down to reached for the fallen softball bat.

"I just… don't… care anymore!"

A quiet, mocking chuckle came from the black hole behind her. Emerald optics appeared, peering up at the fence.

"Poor child…"

She gasped, turning to run. There was the shifting sound of metal, the crunching sound of dirt.

"You do… otherwise, why would I be here?"

"No!" wailed Christine, heading for the building closest to her, the one that held the lunchroom where this nightmare began. "Leave me alone!"

Rampage grunted as he launched himself out of the hole and into the air, landing with a thunderous thud on the concrete in front of her. Christine screamed and skidded to a halt, nearly running into him.

"What's the matter, don't want to play anymore?" His voice dripped in sarcasm as he feinted hurt. "But I _like_ playing with you…"

"Go AWAY!" She swung the bat at him. He caught it effortlessly and hung on, not allowing her to pull it back.

"Now now, no need to get violent…" Rampage ripped it from her hands. Metal shrieked when he smashed the bat flat, bending it with his thumb before tossing it away. "That's MY job…"

She stared at her empty hands, her frightened mind barely registering what had happened. She glanced at the softball bat lying on the ground. Ruined. That was all she had… wait… why did the bat look just fine? No, she was just imagining things. Rampage stepped in front of her, blocking the view. Christine backed away from him, managing to summon up some defiance.

"What is it you want with me? You've succeeded in scaring me halfway to my grave, isn't that enough? Why don't you go bother Depth Charge or terrorize someone else?"

He paused, then gave a shrug, his optics burning into her. "Why should I?"

"Because that's what you do! You torment Depth Charge, you plot against Megatron for stealing your spark, you think about ways to kill the others!"

"You think you know me. You don't. And for the record, little one…" his gaze brightened when his face twisted up in an evil smirk, "I have my spark."

Her heart forgot to beat. "Wh-what? How could you have it?" She tried to get away from him, dodging around his right side, attempting to line up a straight run for the door. His smirk grew wider.

"It is what you most fear. Me, unstoppable, utterly immortal. _I will never die._"

"But that's not right!" Her voice shook terribly, matching the tremor in her legs. Even if she had the opportunity to run, her legs may not carry her….

"Isn't it? I certainly approve of it."

"But you're not even supposed to be REAL!" Christine could see the lunchroom doors now. She saw the windowed wall and inside to the long rows of tables and chairs. Warmth and safety was there. Despite her terror she stopped, looking at the windows. _At_ the windows. She looked back up at Rampage.

"You… you crashed right through those!" she cried, pointing. "I heard you!"

"Did I?" He shrugged again. "So?"

"They're… they're fine! Untouched!" Christine boldly took a step up to him. "That means you're not real!"

The rumbling laugh he replied with wilted her regained courage. The mocking contempt in his optics made them sparkle in an unkind light.

"You haven't figured it out yet?"

"Wh-what?" She demanded, her temper automatically rising as his laugh grew in volume.

"Child," he gently chided, "I'm as real as you want me to be."

For a moment the meaning of his words sank in. She almost couldn't believe it; so willing was she to believe he WAS real…. But as much as she wished he could exist, reality intruded. He couldn't. He was all in her head, a mind game of her imagination.

"No…" She took another step to him, reaching out, now more afraid of losing him than dealing with him. "Rampage…"

He snapped his arm away, growling. "Don't ruin the game for me again."

"But—"

Grabbing her by the front of her jacket, he hauled her up and pinned her to the chain-link fence. "I am NOT your friend! I can STILL make you fear me!"

She choked, frantically pulling on his hand. She began crying. "Then leave!"

"You don't want that," He snarled, giving her a vicious shake. "You WANT me to stay, to explain all the things that you fear! I AM what you fear! Without fear there is no comfort. You KNOW that!"

"No! Go away! Leave me alone!"

"That's not what you believe! You want me to live, to hunt you, to terrorize you—"

"Leave me alone, Rampage!" she sobbed, "_You don't exist!_"

He went silent, staring at her. The fury in his optics gave way to defeat. He released her coat, turned, and disappeared in the night's fog.

For an endless amount of time Christine sat on the ground, crying, huddled against the cold winter wind. Relief told her it was good she had vanquished the demon but she couldn't help feeling a sense of tremendous loss. She hadn't wanted to say that. But she had to. He was supposed to live in the heart of all human nature and she had denied him. Without fear there was no comfort. A restless emptiness had been left instead. She should feel peace. Why did she feel like she had just killed her best friend?

Hurried footsteps made her look up through a haze of tears and windblown hair. She couldn't see but she knew by the sound of his footsteps who it was. Christine's father stopped when he came near her.

"Christine?" He stood over her, then kneeled. "What's wrong?" He pushed her hair from her face. "Why aren't you inside? I've been looking for you."

"Daddy…" She hugged him. "I wanna go home."

"Alright." He sounded worried. He helped stand her up, offering a hand. "Want me to take your backpack?"

She sniffled, wiping her nose on her coat sleeve. "Uh huh." She struggled to get out of it and eventually managed to get it off. He took it and firmly grasped her hand.

"Let's get to the van, it's colder than tarnation out here."

"Yeah, I know…" She shivered, looking at the fog bank over her shoulder as they walked away, hoping for some glimpse….

"_I'm as real as you want me to be"_, he had said. That meant she could banish him when she needed to, but that also meant…. She had wanted him to be there in the first place….

Rampage winked at her through the fog.

---

_Well, there you have it! I've never written anything scary/suspenseful before. Was it any good? Should I stick to comedies? Please let me know! --Starath _


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